Refrigerator boor



Sept. 13, 1932. H, H, BELDlNG 1,876,596

' REFRIGERATon'DooR Filed Aug. 12, 19:50

A TTORNE Y.

'Patented Sept. 13, A1932 UNITED STATES PATENT ,o1-FICE HARRY H. BELDING, F GREENVILLE, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO GIBSON REFRIGERA- l `TOR COMPANY, OF GREENVILLE, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN REFRIGERATOR DOOR 4Application led August 12, 1980. Serial No. 474,696.

This invention relates to refrigerator door constructions and more particularly to constructions employing a wood frame and a porcelain-metal cover plate extending over the front, edges, and back of the door, there usually being an airv space and compressed cork insulation inside the cover plate and the door frame.

Heretofore doors of this construction have '10 been objectionable for the reason that the sheet metal cover plate, which is usually made in two parts, front plate and a back plate, was so constructed and so fastened to the door that unsightly edges and fastening means, such as nails or screws, were exposed.

An object of this invention therefor is a door construction for refrigerators, wherein the edges of the cover plates are concealed by a gasket, similar in composition and location to those usually provided in such doors.

A further object is a door in which the cover plate fastening means are concealed by a gasket.

A still further object is a construction wherein adjacent'edges of cover plates are spaced from each other, being preferably insulated from each other by a section of the Wood frame, thus preventing conduction of heat from the outer to the inner plate.

Further, an object is a door construction wherein the lonly exposed parts are of porcelain-metal or gasket material, no wood, fastening means, unsightly edges, or the like being exposed to view.

Still further objects will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon reference to the following description and the accompanying drawing in which l Fig. lis a section through a refrigerator "door, the section being taken in a plane of one of the fastening means, and a gasket being shown diagrammatically.

Fig. 2 is a similar .section taken on a plane l' 3 remote from the fastening means.

-to hold the back plate 14 against the wood Figs. 3, 4 and 7' are sectional views of .modified forms of fastening means, gaskets being shown diagrammatically.

Fig. 5 is a view as if taken in the direction of the arrow 5 of Fig. 1, the gasket not being I shown.

Fig. 6 is a section as if taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1, the gasket not being shown.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a detail of an edge. v

Referring to the drawing, and more particularly to Figs. l, 2, 5, 6, and 8, there is shown a refrigerator door construction employing a Wood frame 10 upon Which is mounted a porcelain coated metal front cover plate 12 and a similarly coated, metal, panlike back plate 14,`there being an air space 16 and a layer of compressed cork insulation 18 interposed betwen the plates 12 and 14. The wood frame 10 is provided With an extended portion 20 having ai plurality of notches 22 on the rearward surface thereof, the notches being spaced from one another and extending from the edge of the eXtension 20 to the major portion of the wood frame 10. The sheet metal front plate 12 is flanged or bent around the extension 20 of the wood frame 10 as indicated at 24, and the edge 26 of the back plate 14 is flanged or bent inwardly as shown, so that it abuts against the rear surface of the extension 20, substantially coplanar with the flange 24 of the front plate. l

Fastening means, such as nails 28, are used frame, the edge 26 being provided with a bent up or projecting portion between' vwhich and theremaining portions of the liange 26 nails 28 lare threaded, and thru which the nails are driven into the wood frame 10. A gasket 32 of conventional gasl ket material is then fastened to the rib A34 of the extension 2() by means of nails or tacks It will be observed that the'gasket 32 conceals the edges of the front plate 12 and the back plate 14, the fastening nails 28 and the notches 22, and the wood frame 10.

lt will be seen that the ribs 34, interposed between edges of the plates, prevents conduction of heat from one tothe other of them.

Further, it will be seen that there is no tendency on the part of nails 28 to work loose, since the strain on them is transverse thereof and not coaxial therewith.

Various modifications of the door constructin may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and several such modi* fications are shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 7.

In Fig. 3, for example, the edge 40 of the front plate 12 bent upwardly and inwardly, and a long nail 42, whose head abuts the edge 40, serves to clamp the latter in place as well as to hold the back plate on the wood frame.

In the form of Fig. 4 the edge 50 of the front plate is bent downwardly and inwardly', and in this form also, the long nail 42 serves to hold the front plate in place' as in the modification of Fig. 3.

In the embodiment of Fig. 7 the front plate is provided with a hooked edge 60, between which and the major portion of the front plate flange 24 the head of the nail 42 is disposed, and it will be observed that in this construction, the nail and the front plate are interlocked with each other, whereby loosening of the parts is prevented.

Now having described the invention and the preferred embodiment thereof, it is to be understood that the said invention is to be limited, not to the specific details herein set forth and illustrated, but only by the scope of the claims which follow:

1. Refrigerator door construction including a wood frame, a front cover plate, and a back cover late, the front plate having an edge flange ent around the rear side of the frame to lie in a plane parallel to that of the door, the back plate also having an edge flange in a plane parallel to that of the door, and means forced into the wood frame through spaced bent up portions of the edge flange of said back plate near an edge thereof for securing the latter to the frame the direction of drive of said means being in a plane parallel to that of the door.

2. Refrigerator door construction includ-` ing a wood frame, a front cover plate, and a back cover plate, the front plate having an edge flange bent around the rear side of the frame to lie in a plane parallel to that of the door, the back plate also having an edge flange in a plane parallel to that of the door, and means forced into the wood frame through spaced bent up portions of the'edge flange of the back plate near an edge thereof for securing the'latter to the frame, the axis of said fastening means being substantially parallel to the plane of the door whereby the strain on the means is transverse thereto and not coaxial therewith.

3. Refrigerator door construction including a wood frame, a front cover plate, and a back cover late, thefront plate having an edge flange ent around the rear side of the frame to lie in a` plane parallel to that of the door, the back plate also having an edge flange in a plane parallel to that of the door, and means forced into the wood frame through spaced bent up portions of the edge flange of the back plate near an edge thereof for securing the latter to the frame the direction of drive of said means being in a plane parallel to that of the door, said fastening means also engaging said front near an edge thereof.

4. Refrigerator door construction including a wood frame, a front cover plate, and a back cover plate, the front plate having an edge flange bent around the rear side of the frame to lie in a plane parallel to that of the door, the back plate also having an edge flange in a plane parallel to that of the door, and means forced into the wood frame through spaced bent up portions of the edge flange of the back plate near an edge thereof for securing the latter to the frame the direction of drive of said means being in a plane parallel to that of the door, said fastening means also interlockingly engaging the said front plate near an edge thereof.

5. Refrigerator door construction including a wood frame, a front cover plate, and a back cover plate, the front plate having an edge flange bent around the rear side of the frame to lie in a plane parallel to that of the door, the back plate also having an edge flange in a plane parallel to that of the door, and means forced into the wood frame through spaced bent up portions of the edge flange of the back plate near an edge thereof for securing the latter to the frame the direction of drive of said means being in a plane parallel to that of the door, said fastening means being disposed in spaced notches in the rear side of said frame.

6. Refrigerator door construction inc1uding a wood frame, a front cover plate, and a back cover plate, the front plate having an edge flange bent around the rear side of the frame to lie in a plane parallel to that of the door, the back plate alsohaving an edge flange in a plane parallel to that of the door, and means forced into the wood frame through spaced bent up portions of the edge flange of the back plate near an edge thereof for securing the latter to the frame the direction of drive of said means being in a plane parallel to that of the door, said fastening means being disposed in spaced notches in the rear side of said frame, said back plate edge being bent up at intervals to provide projections disposed in said notches,

Lamme 7. Refri erator door eonstructionineiuding a woo frame, a front cover piate, and a back cover late, the front plate havin an edge Bange ent around the rear side o the frame, and means forced into the Wood frame and engaging the back plate near an edge thereof for securing the latter to the frame, said fastening means being disposed in spaced notches in the rear side ef said frame, said back plate edge being tent up at inter vals to provide projections dispersed in said notches, said projections being pierced 'to provide fasteninlleans reeeivin apertures.

REY H, B LDENG@ 

